Watch: Audi's self-driving car in action

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It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but this is a busy public motorway (or an autobahn to be precise), and while I'm in the driver's seat, the car is the one in control as we speed along.

The self-driving version of the Audi A7 Sportback is only a prototype at the moment, and there are numerous legal issues to be overcome before it can go on sale. However, the technology feels remarkably close to being production ready.

In fact, the car is so competent at changing lanes and accelerating and braking as needed that it isn't long before I feel completely comfortable taking my eyes off the road.

Look, no hands: Alex Robbins gives control to the autonomous Audi's electronic brain

First will be a system that can pilot the car in traffic jams, and then one that can also do so on motorways. However, Bartels says a fully robotic system that can negotiate any driving situation – including the urban jungle – is probably at least fifteen years away.